Evaluation and management Medicaid payments surge 103.8% in Jal during 2024

Jal Medicaid providers received $68,410 for Evaluation and Management services in 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. That amount represents a 103.8% rise over 2023, when area providers claimed $33,569 for the same services.

Medicaid, a joint effort between state and federal governments, is a public insurance program that serves low-income residents, seniors, children, and individuals with disabilities. As one of the largest components of the nation’s health system, its funding structure and fiscal management are shaped by these public partnerships.

Shifts in Medicaid spending levels help illustrate how taxpayer resources are deployed locally for health care coverage.

The Evaluation and Management designation covers a group of Medicaid services under specific HCPCS and CPT code ranges. For this data analysis, codes were assigned exclusively to one service group based on code prefixes and numbers, allowing accurate tracking, single-category counts, and direct performance comparisons over time.

Medicaid expenditures climbed within several service areas, but in Jal, payments for Evaluation and Management ranked as the city’s top Medicaid payment category in 2024.

Statewide in New Mexico that year, Evaluation and Management placed third among Medicaid spending categories.

From five years prior to 2024, Evaluation and Management category Medicaid outlays in Jal increased by $49,796, or 267.5%. The most notable increases were seen in specific years, including 2021 and 2023.

Spending on these services occurred across Jal, but in 2024, payments primarily came from a small set of ZIP codes. That year, ZIP code 88252 contributed $68,410 in Medicaid Evaluation and Management payments—making up 100% of the city’s total in this group.

Within this category, a small selection of billing codes accounted for the bulk of Jal’s Medicaid payments.

From 2023 to 2024, money spent through Medicaid for Evaluation and Management in Jal climbed 103.8%. In contrast, Medicaid payments across all service types citywide rose 114.1% in the same interval.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, joint federal and state Medicaid spending was about $871.7 billion in fiscal 2023, representing about 18% of overall U.S. health expenses. That figure was up sharply from an estimated $613.5 billion in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This escalation is an increase of about 40% in several years, much of it linked to broader program enrollment and increased utilization due to or following the pandemic period.

Federal budget legislation passed under the Trump administration contained major plans to trim Medicaid funding and change how the program is structured. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed into law in 2025, is projected to shrink federal Medicaid spending by over $1 trillion in the coming decade. It also enacts work requirements and higher cost-sharing policies, expected to reduce coverage and federal funding for some recipients. States could absorb more of the program’s costs, and Medicaid’s growth at the federal level is expected to slow, even while it remains a key support for millions nationwide.

Note: HCPCS codes are shown for context within the category. Category totals and rankings in this article are based on standardized service groupings rather than individual billing codes.

Information in this article was obtained from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. The source data can be found here.